Smoothie: Equal parts frozen cherry and fresh peeled zuchini with a small tang of lemon zest.
I have moved this recipe to my new website! You can find the recipe here: http://purefitlosophy.com/?p=25
Black-Eyed Pea & Parsley Dip January 2, 2012
Black-Eyed Peas are known to bring luck in the New Year. Eating fresh plant-based foods will certainly boost your health any day of the year.
Black-Eyed Peas & Parsley Dip
with garlic & lemon
Adapted from this recipe from Eating Well. I used frozen black-eyed peas instead of canned. It is best to use fresh or frozen vegetables when possible instead of canned to reduce possible exposure to BPA and salt added to processed foods. When it comes to beans and legumes, if fresh or frozen are not available dried versions are very economical and healthful choices. Many dried beans require soaking for at least 4 hours and boiling for an additional hour so be sure to check instructions and plan ahead.
Ingredients
-1 cup fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
-3 tsp lemon juice
-4 tsp olive oil
-5 cloves garlic (minced)
Optional
-Dash of lime juice
-Dash of salt
-Dash of ground black pepper
-Dash of cayenne pepper
Methods
Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you are using frozen black-eyed peas leave in the fridge for several hours or heat in a microwave safe container for about 1 minute and 30 seconds before adding to food processor. Delicious when served with fresh whole-wheat pita chips or blue corn chips and fresh salsa. Keep the dip to chip ratio high to get more veggies in and less empty calories (chips).
Lush Cabbage-Carrot-Avocado Rolls December 21, 2011
Shredded Purple Cabbage, Sauteed Onion, Shredded Carrots, Mini Broccoli Pieces, & Sprouts combine with Avocado and Hummus for a fresh, nourishing meal. Wrapped in a large collard green leaf with green onion tie.
Cool Components: Prep well-rinsed leaf, sprouts, green onion slices, avocado, and hummus while the onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, & carrots simmer on your stove.
Lush Cabbage-Carrot-Avocado Rolls
wrapped in Collard Green Leaves
–a perfect lunch or snack–
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
-Large, fresh collard green leaves
-Purple cabbage (I used fresh sliced thin)
-Alfalfa Sprouts (optional- wash well)
-Green onion (chopped)
-1 large carrot (shredded)
-1 ripe avocado
-1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
-3 cloves garlic (minced)
-2 tbsp olive or canola oil
-Your favorite hummus (lemon or spinach & artichoke work well)
-1 small head of broccoli (break off small, thin pieces)
Wrap Filling: Sauteed onions, garlic cabbage, carrots, & broccoli.
Methods
1) Finely chop/slice onion, garlic, cabbage and green onion. Peel and shred carrot. In a medium sauce pan, add olive oil and set to medium-high heat. Add onion and stir frequently for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add cabbage, garlic, and carrots. Break off small pieces of broccoli and add to pan.
2) Rinse and dry large collard green leaf and spread about 1/2 tsp hummus around center. Add sprouts, a few small avocado slices, and chopped green onion. Be sure to thoroughly rinse all ingredients before using and be mindful of any recent recalls in your area (sprouts have had several bad press spotlights in recent years. Skip these if you or a guest has a compromised immune system. For a healthy adult, fresh, well-rinse sprouts are an excellent source of nutrients including vitamin C.)
3) Add ~3 tbsp of your sauteed mix to the wrap, roll it up and serve fresh. Tie with a green onion string or slice in half. For a snack, enjoy with a large glass of water or unsweetened tea (iced or hot). For a meal, serve with a side of brown or wild rice and your favorite fruit-packed smoothie.
Thanks to Tin for the awesome idea to use collard greens for the wraps! I love them!
Tart Tropical Kiwi-Mango-Spinach Smoothie November 20, 2011
Tart and delilcious.
Kiwi-Mango-Spinach Smoothie
with coconut milk and tart yogurt
Ingredients
1 whole kiwi (remove the skin)
1/2 cup coconut milk (refrigerated, unsweetened)
4 tbsp tart yogurt (plain European or Greek)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
3 tbsp chopped frozen spinach
Methods
Blend until smooth.
Optional: Get your zen on with some yoga. There are lots of great free videos online. Try this 20 minute session from ExerciseTV to get you started.
White Bean & Artichoke Dip March 3, 2011
White Bean & Artichoke Dip
White Bean & Artichoke Dip topped with Fresh Green Onion
I followed this self.com recipe pretty carefully but decided to amp up the garlic and to add fresh green onion slices as a topping. I think that blending in a bit of fresh lemon grass would also compliment the dip well (I will try this next time).
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cans (15.5 oz each) white beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts (packed in water, drained)
I just changed the amount of garlic above from 1 to 4 cloves. When I made this recipe I crushed and sauteed the garlic in 1 tsp olive oil before adding it to the food processor. If you use a fresh lemon for the juice, zest the lemon before slicing and add this in for a delicious fresh taste. If you have fresh rosemary, use a spring of this instead of the dried kind.
Serve with endives leaves, cucumber slices, baby carrots, or whole-grain pita or tortilla chips. I like “FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD” Mulitgrain chips. Beanitos Black Bean Chips are also pretty healthy as far as chips go.
Satisfying Soup December 28, 2010
Satisfying Soup: Hot vegetable soup with multigrain tortilla chips topped with low-fat cheddar
Featured: Health Valley Organic No Salt Added Vegetable Soup topped with multigrain tortilla chips and low-fat cheddar blend. Canned soup can be good to keep on hand for when you don’t have much time to go grocery shopping but many soups try to compensate for the lack-luster canned taste with enormous amounts of sodium. Look for low-sodium or no salt added versions and add your own toppings to amp up the flavor. I found this combo to be particularly delicious as a mid-afternoon snack and helped me stay on track with my goal to eat more vegetables. One cup of soup plus toppings delivered 70% of the DV for vitamin A, 20% of the DV for vitamin C, and lots of satisfying flavor for only 175 calories. I saved the rest of the soup for later (the can comes with two cups) but loved it so much that I couldn’t wait until the next day and ate the rest that evening.
100 Calorie Upgrade: Edamame November 14, 2010
Ready to Go: You can buy frozen edamame in the shell and microwave it for about 5 minutes. Add just a light sprinkle of salt and enjoy! 1/2 cup is only 120 calories.
Easy, Healthy Snack: Edamame
This post is a follow-up to Friday’s post about upgrading your 100 calorie snack. (If you haven’t read that post, read it here.) Like the hummus, carrot, and salsa combo featured before, edamame makes a tasty, satisfying snack, rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber.
A serving (1/2 cup) provides 120 calories, 10g protein, 5g fiber, and 15% of the DV for iron. Edamame is also an excellent source of folate, manganese and vitamin K.
This is another great example of a healthy, unprocessed, “convenience food.” You can buy frozen edamame at every grocery store I’ve seen, including in the form of a “steam fresh” bag that you place directly in the microwave for 5 minutes. (Even without a microwavable bag you can put them in a microwavable bowl, cover and cook for the same amount of time). You can make a large batch at once and stick your leftovers in the fridge to quickly reheat (30 seconds) in the microwave later.
Don’t go crazy with the salt. Just a little bit goes a long way to enhance the flavor so that the taste hits you when you suck the soybeans out of the pods.
Pairs deliciously with fresh orange slices. Also makes a great side dish for meal, especially if you are making a vegetarian entree because soy is an excellent source of protein.
Here's the Dish 